This blog is for Polk County Florida small farms and pesticide applicators as a method of communication and sharing information. This blog is administered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension Polk County Extension Agent, Mary Beth Henry.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

New and Revised Agriculture Publications, July 2012

This email lists new and revised EDIS publications that have been released to the public in July 2012. They are now available on the World Wide Web at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu. This mailing only includes publications in the Agriculture program area. Please see separate mailings for publications in other program areas.

Agriculture

US/Colombia Free Trade Agreement: What Is in It for Florida Agriculture? (FE905)

On October 12, 2011, the US Congress ratified a Free Trade Agreement/Trade Promotion Agreement (FTA) with Colombia, five years after it was signed by President George W. Bush. The FTA took effect in May of 2012. This 13-page fact sheet highlights the key elements of the US Colombia FTA as they relate to trade in agricultural commodities, and to examine what is at stake for Florida. Written by Edward A. Evans and Fredy H. Ballen, and published by the UF Department of Food and Resource Economics, July 2012.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe905

Nitrogen fertilizer cost represents about 10%–15% of total farm costs for corn, cotton, and wheat in the Southeastern United States. The efficiency of nitrogen use can be highly variable for producers, so a sensor-based, variable-rate nitrogen application (SVNA) system has been developed for irrigated and dryland row crops to reduce production costs. Using sensor-based N application, there is a minimum 20% reduction in N usage. If that rate reduction were applied to all the cotton, corn, and wheat grown in the United States, CO2 emissions from N fertilizer production would be decreased by 2.7 million tons. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Wesley Porter, Ahmad Khalilian, Daniel Dourte, and Clyde Fraisse, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, July 2012.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae487

Well Installation Procedures for Agricultural Irrigation in Miami-Dade County (AE489)

Water wells or groundwater wells are the main source of irrigation water for agriculture in Miami-Dade County. Depending on the purpose and characteristics of the well, different permits are required for installing the well and pumping water from the well. The information provided in this 4-page fact sheet is based on current rules, contacts, and prices as of March 2012 for Miami-Dade County. Written by Kati W. Migliaccio, E. Vanessa Campoverde, and Ann Marie Superchi, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, June 2012.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae489

Most fields are not uniform because of natural variations in soil type or topography. When water is applied uniformly to a field, some areas of the field may be overwatered while other areas may remain too dry. Variable-rate irrigation technology gives farmers an automated method to vary rates of irrigation water based on the individual management zones within a field and avoid irrigating roadways, waterways, wetlands, and other non-farmed areas within a pivot. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Calvin Perry, Clyde Fraisse, and Daniel Dourte, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, July 2012.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae490

Leptoglossus zonatus feeds on the satsuma mandarin by inserting its piercing-sucking mouthparts in the fruit and releasing a toxic substance. It transmits a trypanosomatid plant pathogen similar to the one that causes Chagas’ disease and sleeping sickness in humans, but that is only pathogenic to plants. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Amelio A. Chi and Russell F. Mizell III, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2012.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in935

Euschistus quadrator, like other stink bugs, is highly polyphagous. It is found on weeds such as clover, vetch and other legumes. It feeds on many different crops, though it is primarily found on cotton, soybeans and corn. Stink bugs cause injury to various fruits and vegetables by feeding, resulting in significant quality and yield loss. They have piercing-sucking mouthparts and most feed primarily on fruits and seeds. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Sara A. Brennan, Joseph Eger, and Oscar E. Liburd, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2012.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in937

Doryctobracon areolatus was introduced into Florida and the Dominican Republic for control of the Caribbean fruit fly and the West Indian fruit fly. In its native habitats, parasitism of fruit flies in certain fruit can reach more than 80%. Mean parasitism of Caribbean fruit fly following original establishment in Florida was around 40%. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Charles Stuhl and John Sivinski, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2012.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in938

Growth, Reduction, and Survival of Bacteria on Melon Types (FSHN1207/FS191)

From 1990 to 2000, over 700 cases of foodborne illness were associated with outbreaks due to melon consumption in the U.S. and Canada. Even with efforts to educate industry and consumers of safe produce-handling practices, in the last decade there were still over 1,100 documented illnesses associated with melon consumption. This 45-page fact sheet highlights the research that has been done to provide insight on possible sanitation methods and their efficacy in decontaminating melon types of foodborne pathogens as well as natural microflora. Written by Thao P. Nguyen, Michelle D. Danyluk, and Keith R. Schneider, and published by the UF Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, May 2012.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs191

Weed Control in Carrot (HS201/WG026)

Weeds reduce carrot yields by reducing the size of carrot roots through direct competition for nutrients, space, and water. Weeds also deform carrot roots, making them unmarketable. Weeds late in the season may also cause severe harvesting problems. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Peter J. Dittmar and William M. Stall, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, June 2012.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wg026

Blossom drop and reduced fruit set in tomato can seriously impact yields. Growers in Florida routinely experience such problems and inquire about the cause and possible preventative measures to reduce flower loss and improve yields. The problem can be frustrating and difficult to manage in some situations. This 6-page fact sheet was written by Monica Ozores-Hampton, Fnu Kiran, and Gene McAvoy, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, July 2012.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1195

How to Reduce Clogging Problems in Fertigation (HS1202)

Fertigation is the process of applying fertilizers through an irrigation system by injecting them into the water. Because of its effectiveness and efficiency, fertigation is widely used in vegetable and fruit production. However, clogging of lines and emitters may become a problem. This 7-page fact sheet provides practical suggestions for better fertigation management so growers can reduce clogging problems. Written by Guodong Liu and Gene McAvoy, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, June 2012.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1202

Microirrigation is the slow, frequent application of water directly to relatively small areas adjacent to individual plants through emitters placed along a water delivery line. A leading advantage of microirrigation is that evaporation that does not contribute to plant growth much less than with sprinkler irrigation. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Lincoln Zotarelli, Clyde Fraisse, and Daniel Dourte, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, July 2012.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1203

The tropical bont tick is considered one of the most detrimental of the tick species present in Africa and now the Caribbean. It can result in severe economic losses due to hide damage, milk production reduction, and death of livestock. This 7-page fact sheet was written by Karen C. Prine and Amanda C. Hodges, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2012.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in934